Although it's not Christmas yet, iLiad users can rejoice because iRex engineers have just issued firmware 2.8 for the iRex iLiad e-reader. The upgrade includes:

10% additional battery life (when sound disabled)
Personalized PIN code
Recently opened documents view
Configurable flipbar
Key buffering
German language support
Scribble: annotation support on PDF documents
Continuous PDF view mode
More accurate PDF zoom
Background iDS connectivity
Fixed stylus responsiveness


See attached release notes for full information. If you like to discuss the release, please do it in this thread.

Thanks to Pitchfork and VillageReader for bringing the news first.

the 'recent documents' panel on the startpage is a great thing (we've all been waiting for this, right). but it's still two 'clicks' to the last read document.

they have this huge 'recent documents' panel on the startpage ... can they not just list the last three or four last read titles in there.

it would be like: boot ... click ... i'm in!

and why wouldn't they load the last read document on startup (the one i was reading when i turned off the iliad). that would be another click less.

What would be cool is: if you close down the iLiad without exiting your book, you get sent back on bootup, otherwise, Main Menu or whatever. So if when you're going to turn it off, you're done, you exit the book before power down. :)

Actually: when you boot the device normally (e.g. without iDS re-connect to complete the software upgrade) it will immediately show the Recent Documents list. So opening the last read book is just 1 click.

In Germany (and I guess in the Netherlands too) we celebrated Nikolaus - Day today (6.12. each year) Normaly you get sweets and chocolate. I got the 2.8 Software-Update and want to say THANKS! :xmas:

Not because a software update really was necessary - the Iliad worked fine with 2.71. But the additional scribbling in PDFs offers great new opportunities. I want to use the Iliad while singing in a choir having the score on the display. Now I can make my notes...

After all the critique from other forum users (2.8 - Great, BUT...) someone has to say: This is a great electronic device.
And for all of you who want to have a reflasheable, reprogrammable, open frame linux machine: Build one on your own! :vulcan:

Greets
Frisi42

Actually: when you boot the device normally (e.g. without iDS re-connect to complete the software upgrade) it will immediately show the Recent Documents list. So opening the last read book is just 1 click.

yeah, right ... i didn't get that the first time
i apologize :D

# scribbling on pdf rocks. :happy2:
# I like the bg image of the enter-the-pin screen [iLiad keeps pin locked after a reboot, so it is save.]

Password protection! Horray, that's exactly what I need to store my business docs on it.

Did somebody try to connect to iLiad with ssh, when iLiad is at enter-the-pin screen [I have here the German screen] after reboot?
[Edit]:
# "iLiad Settings" are pin locked too, when pin is set.
# English screen says "Enter your PIN code".

Password protection! Horray, that's exactly what I need to store my business docs on it.

Indeed. I have heard arguments about PDAs being better than paper aggendas when even the information of having a meeting is a delicate thing. For instance psychiatrists are very careful about it.

No work on HTML, nothing on any other format (TXT, RTF). Looks like they are only interested in the f... PDF format, which creates huge files, is slow by nature, user-unfriendly, and for most ebook readers far from the first choice. Would it be really hard to create a RTF-reader with some basic functions (font size, margins, etc.)?

No work on HTML, nothing on any other format (TXT, RTF). Looks like they are only interested in the f... PDF format, which creates huge files, is slow by nature, user-unfriendly, and for most ebook readers far from the first choice. Would it be really hard to create a RTF-reader with some basic functions (font size, margins, etc.)?

Or at least a txt reader that reflows text, and/or a HTML reader that remembers your last position!?!?!

Or does the HTML reader remember your last position now? I vaguely remember reading something about that, but haven't tried it lately...

Password protection! Horray, that's exactly what I need to store my business docs on it.

Not really. You also need to know what form the protection takes. Is it just 'don't show the document unless you enter password'? In that case, your business documents may be stored en clair, and all it takes is to copy them to
n external device.

Even if they are encrypted, what crypto is used? And what quality does the password have? A poor pasword can probably be guessed in a few hours. Visit www.pwcrack.com, and wonder at the services modern society provides.

Don't assume iLiad security amounts to anything.

Not really. You also need to know what form the protection takes. Is it just 'don't show the document unless you enter password'? In that case, your business documents may be stored en clair, and all it takes is to copy them to
n external device.

Even if they are encrypted, what crypto is used? And what quality does the password have? A poor pasword can probably be guessed in a few hours. Visit www.pwcrack.com, and wonder at the services modern society provides.

Don't assume iLiad security amounts to anything.


Just dont let your iLiad laying around...

My guess is that the password is more for letting others know that you dont want them sticking their nose in your device. The password is like locking your front door; The average Joe can't get in, but a decent burglar has no trouble unlocking the door.

A 4 number pin offers not too much protection. It's just a remainder : 'i dont want you to get in'

No work on HTML, nothing on any other format (TXT, RTF). Looks like they are only interested in the f... PDF format, which creates huge files, is slow by nature, user-unfriendly, and for most ebook readers far from the first choice. Would it be really hard to create a RTF-reader with some basic functions (font size, margins, etc.)?

I'm disappointed too. In fact, I'm ready to jump ship for the first reader available to the UK that will read HTML or RTF files.

I am very happy with the new release. Almost all the documents I need to read and annotate at work are either preprints of academic papers, internal meeting materials or external/internal research publications. The vast majority of these documents are either PDFs (US Letter or A4 format with no DRM) or can be printed to PDFs. So the enhancements to the viewer and the stylus fix were exactly what I needed.

Security is not great, but password protection helps a bit, and in any case it's no worse than carrying around documents in a USB flash drive - which people do all the time.

Just dont let your iLiad laying around...

My guess is that the password is more for letting others know that you dont want them sticking their nose in your device. The password is like locking your front door; The average Joe can't get in, but a decent burglar has no trouble unlocking the door.

A 4 number pin offers not too much protection. It's just a remainder : 'i dont want you to get in'

Exactly. This simple precaution will stop people from walking into my office when I'm away, picking up my iliad, and stumbling upon the IP addresses of all the servers on the network. Yes somebody could walk off with it, hack into it, and get my docs that way. But by then, security should have stopped them.

CF problems seem to be back for me, unplugging/reinserting doesn't make the files show.
have to reset or turn off/on to make my stuff show up.

CF problems seem to be back for me, unplugging/reinserting doesn't make the files show.
have to reset or turn off/on to make my stuff show up.

I have/had problems too. I even reformatted to FAT32.
Later it worked again, but not always.

My CF card didn't work either. I plugged it in and out a few times until I remembered: Doh! ext2! :P

I will say it was the smoothest upgrade so far. Never had to touch the power switch even once.

And my cognitive dissonance is reducing by the minute now that I've got the page bar right way 'round everywhere.